AP publishes unflattering pic of Romney bending over -
It was a news photo that, as Gawker quipped, was "ripe for captioning."
A pic of Mitt Romney bending over, while a seemingly astonished schoolgirl stands behind him, mouth agape.
The photograph, posted Monday by The Associated Press for all to see, has since surged across the Internet. The candidate riding a wave of confidence from last week's debate performance was suddenly made, pardon, the butt of jokes.
So was it a cheap shot?
Tim Graham, media analysis director at the Media Research Center, says absolutely.
"It's unbelievable," he wrote. "It honestly looks like a little girl is gaping at Romney from behind."
A closer look appears to show the girl looking at something else to the right of Romney. The caption, though, does not make clear what it is she's staring at.
The caption said: "Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney poses for photographs with students of Fairfield Elementary School, Monday, Oct. 8, 2012, in Fairfield, Va."
Steve Manuel, senior lecturer at Penn State's College of Communications and an award-winning photojournalist, said the AP must have known how the image would be perceived.
"In this photo, while it may appear funny, AP knows exactly what viewers are thinking," he wrote in an email. "It's not legitimate news. AP knows that viewers are going to chuckle and imagine what the little girl is seeing, and it makes Gov. Romney appear a bit foolish. That isn't the purpose or mission of photojournalism. ... Candidate or not, it is not the mission of a news organization to place anyone in a position to be ridiculed or made fun of. Reporting the news is, and this is not newsworthy."
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/09/ap-publishes-unflattering-pic-romney-bending-over/
It was a news photo that, as Gawker quipped, was "ripe for captioning."
A pic of Mitt Romney bending over, while a seemingly astonished schoolgirl stands behind him, mouth agape.
The photograph, posted Monday by The Associated Press for all to see, has since surged across the Internet. The candidate riding a wave of confidence from last week's debate performance was suddenly made, pardon, the butt of jokes.
So was it a cheap shot?
Tim Graham, media analysis director at the Media Research Center, says absolutely.
"It's unbelievable," he wrote. "It honestly looks like a little girl is gaping at Romney from behind."
A closer look appears to show the girl looking at something else to the right of Romney. The caption, though, does not make clear what it is she's staring at.
The caption said: "Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney poses for photographs with students of Fairfield Elementary School, Monday, Oct. 8, 2012, in Fairfield, Va."
Steve Manuel, senior lecturer at Penn State's College of Communications and an award-winning photojournalist, said the AP must have known how the image would be perceived.
"In this photo, while it may appear funny, AP knows exactly what viewers are thinking," he wrote in an email. "It's not legitimate news. AP knows that viewers are going to chuckle and imagine what the little girl is seeing, and it makes Gov. Romney appear a bit foolish. That isn't the purpose or mission of photojournalism. ... Candidate or not, it is not the mission of a news organization to place anyone in a position to be ridiculed or made fun of. Reporting the news is, and this is not newsworthy."
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/09/ap-publishes-unflattering-pic-romney-bending-over/
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